Reeders student: "Sirens constant reminder of how close this all is."

Reeders resident Emily Mertz, a freshman at Bentley University and a recent graduate of Pocono Mountain East, offers this view of what's happening just outside Watertown:

Staff report

Reeders resident Emily Mertz, a freshman at Bentley University and a recent graduate of Pocono Mountain East, offers this view of what's happening just outside Watertown:

“I was writing a paper last night and heard about the shooting at MIT. Not long after, word about the shooting in Watertown came across the local news station. At this point in time there wasn't a definite connection between the Monday bombing and the shootings.

“After the week we have had, this was the last thing we needed. Watertown is the next town over, about three miles from Bentley University.

“Watertown is where we go shopping, where our hockey team plays. It's all just a little too close for comfort. I woke up this morning around 6 to find out that the shootings were connected to the Monday bombing.

“We were emailed around 2:30 a.m. telling us to stay inside and to keep calm. Campus police had blocked off the entrances to campus. All through the night I could hear sirens from my dorm room.

"We were emailed again around 6:30 a.m. letting us know that classes had been canceled for the day. We are not allowed to leave our dorms due to the lockdown happening in the town of Waltham as well as surrounding Boston area.

We cannot go to the dining hall or to class; all we can do is sit with friends, watch the news, and pray that this all ends soon. I cannot see much from my dorm room, but the incessant sirens have been a constant reminder of just how close this all is.”